


Several Reasons

by ClockworkDinosaur



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Retail, F/F, Humanstuck, two gay disasters and one tired best friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-28 15:23:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11420784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClockworkDinosaur/pseuds/ClockworkDinosaur
Summary: Aradia and Rose would give several good reasons as to why they're at Hot Topic, but they both have one they would never share.





	Several Reasons

**Author's Note:**

> goth gay gals.......
> 
> i'm branching out and writing ships and characters i usually don't, feel free to provide feedback!

Rose worked at Hot Topic for several reasons.

The first being she had to pay rent somehow. She got paid pretty well for a retail job, and there were fewer suburban soccer moms coming into Hot Topic than any other store to complain and chew her out. It was bearable as far as cashier work goes.

The second was it was one of the few places that she could leave her tattoos uncovered and her makeup heavy. A vain reason perhaps, but important to her nonetheless.

The final reason, a somewhat secret reason that she would never admit but made her job just a little bit better, was the cute regular customer.

She came in about once a week. Medium-brown skin and dark eyes, lots of bows and lace adorning her tiny and stout frame. She was almost always smiling, her red-painted lips pulled wide when she came in and gave a tiny wave. Masses of wild curly black hair bounced as she made her way around the cramped store. Sometimes she was dragging a lanky nerd behind her while he glared at everything from behind 3D glasses. This day was one of those days and he looked just as thrilled as always to be there. Which is to say, he looked as if he were ready to set himself and the entire store on fire.

Though she would never let herself admit it, Rose always watched for her. Her demeanor was so different from the usual try-hard Hot Topic clientele, but she certainly dressed the part. Perhaps her frequent squeals of joy about the skull-shaped nail polish bottles should have been grating to Rose, but she instead found herself enamored. She was perky goth to the nth degree.

Her friend, however, wasn't as accommodating to her enthusiasm. Rose could just hear him over the growling ambient music.

“AA, I swear to god if you scream like that again I'm going to strangle myself with one of the many studded belts here,” he said, his lisp unkind to the sentence. The girl's reply was lost underneath the heavy guitar and Rose bit back a sigh. It was a boring, monotonous day with few customers; the two could at the very least speak loud enough so she could eavesdrop.

Idly, Rose wondered what AA could stand for. Her initials perhaps? Would it be unprofessional to ask as her items were rung up?

That train of thought was derailed when the girl came up with an arm-full of nail polish in a myriad of colors. Her grin was wide and ecstatic.

“These aren't all mine, those two are for Sol!” she chattered excitedly, without preamble, as Rose began scanning the bar codes of the eye-searing red and blue bottles. Sol, which Rose assumes is the name of the dorky friend, somehow manages to look both apathetic and disgusted.

“Did you find everything you were looking for?” Rose asked automatically. Sol snorted.

“AA wasn't looking for anything, she shows up to gawk,” he said pointedly.

“I do not!” she countered quickly, her face going red. “I found a bunch of skull nail polishes which is exactly what I've always wanted.”

Rose smiled as she put the bottles and the receipt in a bag and took AA's money. If she were a character in movie or a romance novel, she would have scribbled down her phone number somewhere and put that in there too. Since she's just an awkward lesbian, she merely slid the bag across the graffiti covered counter top.

Sol looked between the two girls for a moment.

“Have a nice day,” Rose said while the girl stared for a just a second too long. Then she turned and dragged Sol from the store and back out into the mall proper.

 

Aradia shopped at Hot Topic for several reasons.

One of which was it annoyed Sollux to no end to be surrounded by what he claimed was his middle school nightmare. Nerd merch and emo band tees all cramped together in a dark and loud environment did not a happy Captor make. He indulged her, as her best friend, and she in turn didn't make him go every single time.

He still complained a lot though.

The next reason was the cute stuff. Lots of pretty jewelry and accessories to be found among the edgy nonsense. (She wouldn't admit it, not even to Sollux, but some of the edgy nonsense was kinda cute too.)

The last reason, the reason Sol indulged her frequent trips to the mall, and the reason she played down the most, was the pretty purple-eyed cashier.

Her hair was white-blonde, styled in an undercut with straight bangs and long strands framing her thin face. She was lanky; all angles with pointy elbows and narrow eyes. Tattooed tentacles snaked down her arm from underneath the cap sleeve of her black dress. Her name tag said Rose.

Aradia was smitten. Sollux was annoyed.

She always made sure to dress her best for her trips, in a style Sollux called mall goth couture and Aradia called adorable. She straightened the bow on the back of her dress quickly while Sol watched with a raised eyebrow.

“You look creepy enough for Wednesday Addams in there, AA. You don't need to freak out,” he said.

Aradia scoffed. “I'm not freaking out. I didn't realize you were so eager to get in there, but okay! Let's go.”

She grabbed his hand before he could protest and tugged him inside.

Five minutes, thirty dollars, and a pounding heart later, she was out. Sollux pulled his hand out of Aradia's vice-like grip with an incredulous look.

“The fuck was that? I thought you were finally going to ask her out.”

“I was going to...” Aradia said with a shrug. “It wasn't the right time.”

“ _Right time_ my ass. I'm wasting my precious and limited time coming to this shitty too-loud mall every other day just for you to wuss out of asking some random goth girl out to a movie or whatever.”

“Next time,” Aradia said. “If there is a next time I will definitely ask her out.”

With an eye roll, Sollux began walking away. Aradia followed, sighing. She really did want to ask Rose out, and she knew life is just too short to not do it, but-

A familiar voice called out behind them. Aradia turned quickly, her hair and skirt flaring out. Rose stood by the entrance of the store, her hands clasped in front of her. Aradia waved and Rose began walking towards her.

“ _I'm Rose and_ _I can't help but notice you often visit the establishment in which I work and frankly I am bewitched by you you are very lovely pardon me if this is too forward but would you like to get lunch while I'm on my break?_ ”

She said it so quickly and without breathing that Aradia had to take a moment to process her words. When she did, she grinned widely, bouncing a bit on her feet.

“I'm Aradia, and I would love to!”

 


End file.
